The Crossings Animal Society (CAS) has launched Bosco’s Fund, a new program providing preventative veterinary care to qualifying low-income pet families in Bucks County and Mercer County, New Jersey.
Bosco’s Fund will pay the entire cost for annual exams, comprehensive bloodwork and vaccinations for dogs and cats. In its pilot year, the fund expects to cover costs for more than 150 local pets, organizers said.
Preventative veterinary care can be one of the first expenses pushed aside when budgets tighten. Delaying this care can mean preventable health problems become more serious—and more expensive—to treat.
For some families, those circumstances can ultimately contribute to the difficult decision to surrender pets to local shelters or rescue organizations that are already overwhelmed.
The goal of Bosco’s Fund is to help keep their pets healthy and remain with their families.
Bosco’s Fund is partnering with Bucks County Opportunity Council in PA and HomeFront NJ in NJ, which will refer eligible families to the program. Nottingham Veterinary Hospital in Hamilton, New Jersey and Flowers Mill Veterinary Hospital in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, have joined the program as veterinary partners to provide care. CAS is seeking to add two more veterinary practices to provide services for Bosco’s Fund.
“So many pet families in our area are struggling financially through no fault of their own," said CAS Executive Director Yvonne Neiman. "With Bosco’s Fund, we hope to play a small role in helping those families care for and keep their pets.”
Bosco’s Fund complements CAS’s Boris & Natasha’s Fund, launched in 2012, which provides assistance for life-sustaining veterinary care. Boris & Natasha’s Fund helps when a pet is facing illness or injury, while Bosco’s Fund focuses on preventative care that may address health concerns before they reach that point.
Bosco’s Fund was founded by CAS Board member Howard Greenberg, in memory of his beloved dog.
